Europe's best airline, 11 times over, promises one of the best Business Class experiences in the skies. I flew it from Montreal to Istanbul and back to see if the hype holds up.
Even as a travel writer, I’ll admit that I have a complicated relationship with long-haul flights. I love seeing the world, but I don’t love neck contortions, cramped quarters and arrival fog. So when I boarded Turkish Airlines’ nonstop from Montreal to Istanbul, I brought low expectations and one question: is business class really worth it, or is it just very good marketing?
On paper, the airline has plenty going for it. On September 18 in London, Turkish Airlines was named Best Airline in Europe at the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards for the 11th time, climbing to fifth place in the global ranking. It also took World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering for the 10th time. Impressive. But awards don’t make a 9-ish-hour flight feel any shorter. I boarded and took notes.
This seat means business
The Turkish Airlines Business Class seat folds into a fully flat bed that stretches to roughly 76 inches, and it comes properly equipped with a soft blanket and a real pillow. Add Denon noise-cancelling headphones and the cabin just kind of… melts away. I slept. Actually slept, on a plane, and it has probably ruined economy flying for me.
My true love: the trolley
Canapés open the show, then a trolley rolls up like a Mediterranean buffet on wheels: tuna tataki, seafood salad with marinara, roast beef with horseradish sauce, shakshuka, potato empanadas and moutabel, a smoky aubergine dip.
Mains offered a choice of fillet of beef, penne with pesto or grilled prawns. I went with the prawns, served with asparagus and buttered basmati pilaf, and they arrived plump and nicely charred. Dessert lined up a potpourri of traditional Turkish sweets beside cheesecake and chocolate fondant.
A taste of Türkiye
Under the heading “Discover the Tastes of Türkiye,” the in-flight dining menu maps the regional ingredients behind the meal: Ezine cheese from Çanakkale, aged cheese from Kars, honeycomb from Erzincan, countryside butter from Trabzon, dried figs from Aydın, oranges from Antalya, potatoes from Nevşehir and tea from Rize. Then there’s baklava from Gaziantep, a city so serious about its pistachio pastry that Antep baklava earned protected status in the EU back in 2013.
Amenity snobs, meet your match
Then there’s the amenity kit, the kind you actually covet (and definitely keep). For intercontinental Business Class, Turkish Airlines partners with Paris fashion house Lanvin on bags that take their cue from the brand’s iconic Lanvin Parfums shopping bags, in shades of brown, tan, black and cream. Inside you’ll find Lanvin hand and body lotion and a lip balm that I am now obsessed with (I swear it’s the best you’ve ever tried). There’s also a bamboo toothbrush, earplugs in paper packaging, plus fluffy socks and an eye mask made from recycled materials. That mask blocked out every last photon of cabin light. The full Lanvin kit rundown is worth a look.
Istanbul: the layover you’ll want
On the way home, I had time to settle into the Turkish Airlines Business Lounge at Istanbul Airport, which feels more like a bright and airy buffet restaurant with really good chairs. Stations stretch in every direction: pide (a pizza-like Turkish flatbread) pulled hot from the oven, gözleme (meat, cheese or veggie turnovers) folded to order, olives and cheeses in more varieties than you could possibly imagine for an airport lounge, grilled meat and pasta counters, and the baklava display of my dreams. There are showers and quiet rooms too, should you manage to leave the food behind. I did not.
So, is it worth it?
I landed in Istanbul, and later back home in Montreal, feeling rested, well fed and spoiled both times. The service was flawless in both directions, attentive without hovering. For clients headed to Türkiye or connecting onward through Istanbul, the Montreal nonstop makes this an easy sell. Pro tip: Book the lie-flat, leave plenty of time for the lounge on the way back and, whatever you do, save room for the food.